Film Review of an oldie but goldie
Posted: Thu 04 Oct 2018 11:41 am
Just watched The Great Escape for the 100th time. Every time I watch it there is something new to enjoy.
Warning for the one person on earth that hasn't seen it the review contains spoilers.
The all-star cast is led by Steve McQueen and James Garner who, as there were no Americans who actually took part in the escape, were shoehorned in to get a Hollywood release I assume.
The escape is headed by Dickie Attenborough who is on his last warning that he will be shot if he tries to escape again.
The Germans have come up with the brilliant idea that they will put all the best escapers in one camp.
What could possibly go wrong?
Steve McQueen plays an pilot who appears to have been shot down on his way home from a shopping expedition to The Gap. No dull uniform in khaki or blue for Steve, who looks the epitome of cool in chinos, sweat shirt and a blouson leather jacket accessorised with a baseball glove.
James Garner is at least more traditionally dressed in an air force uniform which considering he appears to be the most clued up and savvy person in the camp, must be method acting.
McQueen tries various escapes and pals up with Scot Angus Lennie, who would go onto greater fame as Shughie McFee in Crossroads. How the cast must never have tired of his “when I starred with Steve McQueen…….” stories.
Donald Pleasance, in a rare goody role, has the small, barely worth mentioning, slight drawback in a forger of being blind. James Garner the shrewdest man in the camp somehow decides he will make a great navigator for when he steals a plane.
“Donald where the hell are we.”
“Possibly over Geneva or Berlin I can’t make it out. Why didn’t we just jump on the train?”
“Because one, that is how all the British character actors are escaping and two the picture in the passport you knocked up for me looks like Sidney Poitier you blind b@#%$rd.”
Another famous British actor with a key role was Gordon Jackson. Gordon’s main job was teaching the inmates to pass as Germans. Gordon was very good at speaking German to the inmates but generally slipped into English when actually speaking to Gestapo officers and the like.
Charles Bronson’s job of digging the tunnel wasn’t the best project management by Dickie Attenborough. Like the blind forger, he also had a slight, tiny drawback of being claustrophobic.
Nevertheless despite the morale booster of the man who actually dug the tunnel tearing past them screaming “it’s going to collapse, it’s going to collapse,” 63 brave it and escape.
The simplest thing at this point would have been for the Germans to check out the blurry documents of anyone wearing a khaki three piece suit but in the interests of being sporting they don’t. They also know they will win on a shoot out anyhow.
Only three actually make it, the claustrophobic tunneller and his pal and the master linguist James Coburn. He cleverly avoided Gordon Jackson’s German lessons and relied on speaking English with an Australian accent that made Dick Van Dyke’s cockney accent in Mary Poppins sound like Bob Hoskins.
Highly recommended
Warning for the one person on earth that hasn't seen it the review contains spoilers.
The all-star cast is led by Steve McQueen and James Garner who, as there were no Americans who actually took part in the escape, were shoehorned in to get a Hollywood release I assume.
The escape is headed by Dickie Attenborough who is on his last warning that he will be shot if he tries to escape again.
The Germans have come up with the brilliant idea that they will put all the best escapers in one camp.
What could possibly go wrong?
Steve McQueen plays an pilot who appears to have been shot down on his way home from a shopping expedition to The Gap. No dull uniform in khaki or blue for Steve, who looks the epitome of cool in chinos, sweat shirt and a blouson leather jacket accessorised with a baseball glove.
James Garner is at least more traditionally dressed in an air force uniform which considering he appears to be the most clued up and savvy person in the camp, must be method acting.
McQueen tries various escapes and pals up with Scot Angus Lennie, who would go onto greater fame as Shughie McFee in Crossroads. How the cast must never have tired of his “when I starred with Steve McQueen…….” stories.
Donald Pleasance, in a rare goody role, has the small, barely worth mentioning, slight drawback in a forger of being blind. James Garner the shrewdest man in the camp somehow decides he will make a great navigator for when he steals a plane.
“Donald where the hell are we.”
“Possibly over Geneva or Berlin I can’t make it out. Why didn’t we just jump on the train?”
“Because one, that is how all the British character actors are escaping and two the picture in the passport you knocked up for me looks like Sidney Poitier you blind b@#%$rd.”
Another famous British actor with a key role was Gordon Jackson. Gordon’s main job was teaching the inmates to pass as Germans. Gordon was very good at speaking German to the inmates but generally slipped into English when actually speaking to Gestapo officers and the like.
Charles Bronson’s job of digging the tunnel wasn’t the best project management by Dickie Attenborough. Like the blind forger, he also had a slight, tiny drawback of being claustrophobic.
Nevertheless despite the morale booster of the man who actually dug the tunnel tearing past them screaming “it’s going to collapse, it’s going to collapse,” 63 brave it and escape.
The simplest thing at this point would have been for the Germans to check out the blurry documents of anyone wearing a khaki three piece suit but in the interests of being sporting they don’t. They also know they will win on a shoot out anyhow.
Only three actually make it, the claustrophobic tunneller and his pal and the master linguist James Coburn. He cleverly avoided Gordon Jackson’s German lessons and relied on speaking English with an Australian accent that made Dick Van Dyke’s cockney accent in Mary Poppins sound like Bob Hoskins.
Highly recommended